Information displaying system and non-transitory recording medium

ABSTRACT

An information displaying system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a first display section configured to display a time axis of detected signals along a first direction, a second display section configured to display a plurality of signal waveforms based on the detected signals in parallel so that the signal waveforms are arranged side by side in a second direction different from the first direction, and a controller configured to control the first display section and the second display section. When, in the second display section, a location on at least one of the plurality of the signal waveforms or near the at least one of the plurality of the signal waveforms is designated, the controller highlights the designated location, and displays a designated result on a time location in the first display section corresponding to the designated location.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application is a continuation application of InternationalApplication No. PCT/JP2017/036592 filed on Oct. 10, 2017, which claimspriority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2017-098525 filed on May 17,2017 and Japanese Patent Application No. 2016-233405 filed on Nov. 30,2016. The contents of these applications are incorporated herein byreference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention

The present disclosure relates to an information displaying technique,especially relates to the information displaying technique includingfunction for adding an annotation to a plurality of signal waveforms.

2. Description of the Related Art

In a bio-information monitoring system, techniques to add a comment to abiosignal of a patient at an arbitrary timing during monitoring, torecord the biosignal with the comment, and to display the data relatedto the recorded biosignal at an arbitrary timing are known (see JapaneseUnexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2005-95469, for example).The system disclosed in the Japanese Unexamined Patent ApplicationPublication No. 2005-95469 receives instruction from the user who ismonitoring a waveform to designate the range of the waveform and savesthe waveform with the comment. When displaying the waveform, the savedcomment is displayed with the waveform on the screen. The comment isdisplayed at the blank space of the screen for displaying the waveform.

Further, according to another technique of displaying a waveform with adigital annotation on the chart portion for displaying physiologicalinformation, multiple types of physiological signals (e.g., fetal heartrate signal and intrauterine pressure signal) may be plotted on the sametime axis so that these signals are displayed in a synchronized manner(see Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2013-59621,for example).

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An information displaying system according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure includes a first display section configured todisplay a time axis of signal detection along a first direction, asecond display section configured to display a plurality of signalwaveforms based on the signal detection in parallel so that each of thesignal waveforms is arranged in a second direction different from thefirst direction, and a controller configured to control the firstdisplay section and the second display section. When, in the seconddisplay section, a location on at least one of the plurality of thesignal waveforms or near the at least one of the plurality of the signalwaveforms is designated, the controller highlights the designatedlocation, and displays a designated result on a time location in thefirst display section corresponding to the designated location.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an external view of a biosignal measurement system where aninformation displaying technique according to the present disclosure isapplied;

FIG. 2 is an example of starting screen of the information displayingsystem;

FIG. 3 is an example of a measurement screen;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the left region of the measurement screenin FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the right region of the measurement screenin FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a screenshot of a measurement screen just after annotationinformation is entered;

FIG. 7 is a view of an updated annotation list;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of the information displaying processing in themeasurement phase;

FIG. 9 is an example of an analysis screen;

FIG. 10 is an enlarged view of the left region of the analysis screen inFIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is an enlarged view of the right region of the analysis screenin FIG. 9;

FIG. 12 is a screenshot of the analysis screen in FIG. 10 just after oneof the annotation lines is selected;

FIG. 13 is an enlarged view of the left region of FIG. 12;

FIG. 14 is an enlarged view of the right region of FIG. 12;

FIG. 15 is a flowchart of the information displaying processing in theanalysis phase;

FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating a modified example of the displaylayout;

FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating another modified example of thedisplay layout;

FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating a modified example of the analysisscreen illustrated in FIG. 9;

FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating a modified example of the analysisscreen illustrated in FIG. 9;

FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating a modified example of FIG. 10;

FIG. 21 is a diagram illustrating a modified example of FIG. 10;

FIG. 22 is a diagram illustrating a modified example of FIG. 10;

FIG. 23 is a diagram illustrating a modified example of FIG. 10;

FIG. 24 is a diagram illustrating a modified example of FIG. 10;

FIG. 25 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of theinformation displaying system;

FIG. 26 is a diagram illustrating functional blocks included in theinformation displaying system;

FIG. 27 is a flowchart illustrating an example of operation of theinformation displaying system according to a second embodiment(illustrating the operation when measurement process is performed threetimes);

FIG. 28 is a flowchart illustrating an example of operation of theinformation displaying system according to the second embodiment;

FIG. 29 is a view of the left side region of the analysis screenaccording to the second embodiment;

FIG. 30 is a view illustrating an example of the analysis screenaccording to a modified example of the second embodiment;

FIG. 31A is a view for explaining a displaying method for distinctivelyillustrating the signal waveforms each of which is based on thedifferent range information;

FIG. 31B is a view for explaining a displaying method for distinctivelyillustrating the signal waveforms each of which is based on thedifferent time range information;

FIG. 32A is a view for explaining a displaying method for distinctivelyillustrating the signal waveforms each of which is based on thedifferent time range information;

FIG. 32B is a view for explaining a displaying method for distinctivelyillustrating the signal waveforms each of which is based on thedifferent time range information; and

FIG. 32C is a view for explaining a displaying method for distinctivelyillustrating the signal waveforms each of which is based on thedifferent range information.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

The related arts for displaying digital annotation do not specificallyteach how to input digital annotation to the multiple types ofphysiological signals and how to display the annotation. Also in therelated art, each of the multiple types of physiological signals isillustrated as a single waveform.

In recent years, research for the nervous activity of the brain has beenin progress, which has prompted the development of magnetoencephalographand electroencephalograph. The magnetoencephalograph or theelectroencephalograph collects faint signal waveforms from a largenumber of sensors to obtain one type of biosignal. In the related arts,when multiple types of biosignals are displayed in parallel, or whenmultiple signal waveforms obtained from a large number of sensors aredisplayed in parallel, it is difficult to recognize to which waveformthe comment or the annotation is added.

The purpose of the present disclosure is to provide the informationdisplaying technique to realize a display screen that facilitatesrecognizing the location (point or range (area)) of the signal waveformto be considered, when multiple signal waveforms are displayed on thesame time axis.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a biosignal measurement system 1 whichis an application example of an information displaying techniqueaccording to the present embodiment. The biosignal measurement system 1measures and displays multiple types of biosignals, for example, amagnetoencephalogram (MEG) signal and an electroencephalogram (EEG)signal. The biosignal measurement system 1 includes a measuring device3, a data recording server 42, and an information displaying system 20.The information displaying system 20 includes a monitor display 26 todisplay signal information obtained by a measurement and analysisresult. In FIG. 1, each of the data recording server 42 and theinformation displaying system 20 is illustrated as a distinct hardware,but at least a part of the components or the functions of the datarecording server 42 may be incorporated in the information displayingsystem 20.

A person to be measured (hereinafter referred to as “subject”) lies downon the measurement table 4 with electrodes (or sensors) on his/her headto measure the EEG signals, and inserts his/her head in a cavity 31 of adewar 30 of the measuring device 3. The dewar 30 is a container formaintaining a cryogenic environment using liquid helium, and a largenumber of magnetic sensors for measuring the MEG signals reside insidethe cavity 31 of the dewar 30. The measuring device 3 collects the EEGsignals from the electrodes and collects the MEG signals from themagnetic sensors. The collected biosignals are stored in the datarecording server 42. The information displaying system 20 reads the datarecorded in the data recording server 42 to display and analyze thedata. Generally, the dewar 30 including the magnetic sensors and themeasurement table 4 are placed in the magnetic shield room, but in FIG.1, the illustration of the magnetic shield room is omitted forconvenience.

The information displaying system 20 displays the waveforms of the MEGsignals obtained from the magnetic sensors and the waveforms of the EEGsignals obtained from the electrodes in a synchronized manner so thateach of the waveforms is displayed on the same time axis. An EEG signalrepresents an electrical activity of nerve cells (a flow of ion chargeoccurring at dendrite of a neuron during a synapse transmission) as thevoltage between the electrodes. A MEG signal represents a faintvariation of magnetic field occurring by the electrical activity in thebrain. Brain magnetic field is detected by a superconducting quantuminterferometer (SQUID) sensor of high sensitivity.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a starting screen 204 that is displayedon the monitor display 26. The selection boxes of “measurement” and“analysis” are displayed on the starting screen 204. When measuring atleast one of the EEG signals and the MEG signals, data measurement isdone by a different person from the one who analyzes the data. Forinstance, when the “measurement” box is selected by the laboratorytechnician (measurer), the data obtained by the measuring device 3 isstored (saved) in the data recording server 42 in succession.Additionally, the stored (saved) data is read by the informationdisplaying system 20 and displayed on the monitor display 26. When thedoctor selects “analysis” box after the measurement process iscompleted, the measured data recorded in the data recording server 42 isread out and analyzed. Detailed description of the process ofmeasurement and the process of analysis will be explained below.

First Embodiment

<Operation of the Measurement Phase>

FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a measurement screen. A tab 111includes a label representing that this screen is for “measurement”. Themeasurement screen includes a region 201A for displaying the measuredsignal waveforms, and a region 201B for displaying monitored informationother than the signal waveforms. The region 201A for displaying thesignal waveforms is placed on the left side of the screen seen from themeasurer, and the region 201B for displaying the monitored informationother than the signal waveforms is placed on the right side of thescreen seen from the measurer. This placement improves the workefficiency of the measurer since the eye movement of the measurer thatfollows the movement of the waveforms detected and displayed inreal-time (the waveforms move from left to right) is similar to themovement of the mouse cursor by the measurer that moves the mouse cursorfrom the region 201A in the left side of the screen to the region 201Bin the right side of the screen.

The region 201B includes a monitor window 170 that enables to check thestate of the subject during measurement. By displaying the live videoimage of the subject during measurement, the reliability of the check ofthe signal waveforms or the reliability of the determination will beimproved, as will be explained later. In the example illustrated in FIG.3, the entire measurement screen is displayed on the screen of themonitor display 26. Alternatively, the left side region 201A and theright side region 201B may be displayed separately on two or moredifferent monitor displays.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the left side region 201A in FIG. 3. Theregion 201A includes a display section 110 which is a first displaysection for displaying information representing the time when a signalis detected (time information of signal detection) along a horizontaldirection (first direction) of the screen, and display sections 101through 103 which are a second display section for displaying multiplesignal waveforms based on the signal detection in parallel so that thesignal waveforms are arranged side by side in a vertical direction(second direction) of the screen.

In the example illustrated in FIG. 4, the time information displayed onthe display section 110 is a timeline which includes a time axis 112 andthe time values along the time axis. But in another embodiment, as thetime information, only a belt-like axis may be displayed on the displaysection 110 without displaying the figures of time. Or, only the timemay be displayed as the time information without displaying an axis.Further, in addition to the display section 110, the time axis 112 canbe displayed under the display section 103 to present the timeline.

In the region 201A, multiple signal waveforms obtained from multiplesensors of the same type, or multiple kinds of signal waveforms obtainedfrom multiple kinds of sensors, are displayed in a synchronized mannerso that each of the signal waveforms is displayed with the same timeaxis. For example, the waveforms of the MEG signals obtained from theright side of the head of the subject are displayed side by side on thedisplay section 101, and the waveforms of the MEG signals obtained fromthe left side of the head of the subject are displayed side by side onthe display section 102. In the display section 103, the waveforms ofthe EEG signals are displayed side by side. These waveforms of the EEGsignals represent the voltage measured between the electrodes. Each ofthe signal waveforms is displayed by correlating with an identificationnumber of the sensor where the signal is obtained or a channel number ofthe sensor where the signal is obtained.

When the measurement is started and the measured information iscollected from each sensor, the signal waveforms are displayed from theleft end of each of the display sections 101 through 103 in the region201A along with the elapse of time. A line 113 represents the measuredtime (current time), and moves in the screen from left to right. Afterthe signal waveforms are displayed at the right end of the region 201A(the right end of the time axis), the signal waveforms on the screenwill be deleted gradually from the left end to the right. Subsequently,new signal waveforms will be displayed from the left side to the rightin the location where the signal waveforms are deleted, and the line 113will move from the left end to the right. Along with the progress of themeasurement, in the display section 110 extending in the horizontaldirection, the time information on the time axis 112 is updated. Themeasurement is continued until a stop button 119 is pushed.

One of the characteristics of the present embodiment is that a measurer(recorder) can, during measurement, mark on the point or the range wherehe/she noticed that there is waveform turbulence, an irregular point ofthe amplitude, etc., on the signal waveforms. The points or the range tobe marked can be designated by the pointing or clicking operation of themouse. The designated points (or range) on the signal waveforms in thedisplay sections 101 through 103 are highlighted, and the result of thedesignation is displayed at the time location or the time rangecorresponding to the designated points (or range) in the display section110 along the time axis 112. The information of the marked points (orrange) including the information displayed in the time axis 112 isrecorded with the signal waveform data. The designated point correspondsto a time, and the designated range corresponds to a period of time.Also in the present disclosure, the term “location” may be used as aword meaning both “point” and “range”.

In the example illustrated in FIG. 4, a range including one or morechannels is designated in the display section 103 at time t1, and a timeperiod including time t1 is highlighted by a mark 103 a-1. In connectionwith the mark 103 a-1, an annotation 110 a-1 representing the result ofthe designation is displayed at the time location corresponding to themark 103 a-1 in the display section 110. Also at time t2, another pointon the waveform or the vicinity is marked in the display section 103 anda mark 103 a-2 is highlighted at the point (time t2) or in the regionnear time t2 (at least a time range or multiple waveforms aredesignated). At the same time, an annotation 110 a-2 is displayed at thetime location corresponding to the mark 103 a-2 in the display section110.

The annotation 110 a-1 that was added to the display section 110 at timet1 includes, as an example, an annotation identification number andinformation about the attribute of the waveforms. In the exampleillustrated in FIG. 4, an icon representing the attribute of thewaveform and the text information of “strong spike” is displayed alongwith an annotation number “1”.

At time t2, when the measurer designates another point on the waveformor the vicinity of the waveform, the mark 103 a-2 is highlighted at thedesignated location. At the same time, an annotation number “2” isdisplayed at the time location in the display section 110 correspondingto the mark 103 a-2. Further, a popup window 115 for selecting anattribute is displayed at the highlighted location. The popup window 115includes selection buttons 115 a for selecting various kinds ofattributes, and an input box 115 b for inputting comments or additionalinformation. Each of the selection buttons 115 a represents the cause ofthe turbulence of the waveform such as “fast activity”, “eye motion”,“body motion”, “spike”, and so on. Since the measurer can check thestate of the subject by looking at the monitor window 170 placed in theregion 201B on the screen, he/she can appropriately select the attributerepresenting the cause of the turbulence of the waveform. For example,when a spike occurs in the waveform, he/she can determine if the spikeindicates an epileptic syndrome, or if the spike is caused by the bodymotion (such as a sneeze) of the subject.

FIG. 4 also illustrates similar operation being performed at time t1, inwhich the selection button 115 a representing “spike” was selected;“strong spike” was inputted in the input box 115 b, so that theannotation 110 a-1 is displayed in the display section 110. Because ofthis displaying aspect, when multiple signal waveforms are displayed ina synchronized manner so that each of the waveforms is displayed on thesame time axis, the point or the range of the signal waveform(s) to beconsidered can be visually recognized easily, and the basic informationof the location to be considered can be grasped easily.

A part or all of the annotation 110 a-1, for example, at least one ofthe attribute icon and the text annotation, may also be displayed nearthe mark 103 a-1 on the signal waveforms in the display section 103.Since the annotation added on the signal waveforms may hinder checkingthe shape of the waveform, it is desirable that the informationdisplaying system 20 is configured to be selectable by a user (such as ameasurer) such that displaying annotations on the signal waveforms inthe display sections 101 through 103 is enabled or disabled, if theinformation displaying system 20 has a function to display annotationson the signal waveforms.

A counter box 118 is for displaying a cumulative number of the spikeannotations. Every time “spike” is selected, a counter for the counterbox 118 is incremented. Therefore a user can easily recognize the totalnumber of spikes that occurred from the time the measurement was startedto the current time (the line 113).

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the right side region 201B of the screen,which illustrates the state of the right side region 201B at the timewhen the left side region 201A is in the state illustrated in FIG. 4(when it is the time indicated by the line 113). The monitor window 170in the region 201B is the window for displaying the live video image ofthe state of the subject lying on the measurement table 4 with his/herhead inserted in the measuring device 3. In the region 201B,distribution maps 141, 142 and 130 and an annotation list 180 aredisplayed. The distribution maps 141, 142 and 130 correspond to thesignal waveforms in the display sections 101, 102 and 103 respectively.The annotation list 180 is the list of the annotations which were markedon the signal waveforms in FIG. 4. Every time a point or a range on thesignal waveforms is designated on the display sections 101 through 103and an annotation is added, the corresponding information is added tothe annotation list 180 serially. In the measurement screen, theinformation added to the annotation list 180 is displayed, for example,in a descending order (e.g., newer information is displayed on the upperrow), but the displaying method is not limited to the example. Theinformation in the annotation list 180 may be displayed in the ascendingorder, but they should be displayed so that the relation between theinformation and the annotation displayed in the display section 110along the time axis 112 can be recognized. Further, it is possible tochange the order of the information to be displayed, or to sort them bythe specific column.

In the example of the annotation list 180 illustrated in FIG. 5, thetime information and the added annotation information corresponding tothe annotation number “1” is listed. As the annotation information, theattribute icon representing “spike” and the text “strong spike” isrecorded. Also, when the mark 103 a-2 is highlighted, the informationcorresponding to the annotation number “2” is listed.

A selection box 180 a is disposed near the annotation list 180 forenabling or disabling to display annotation in the display sections 101through 103. When the selection box 180 a is not checked, theannotations other than the highlight mark are not displayed on thedisplay sections 101 through 103, but the annotations in the displaysection 110 along the time axis 112 are displayed. Because of thisfunction, the annotation information can be recognized without hinderingthe visibility of the signal waveforms.

FIG. 6 illustrates the state of the screen when “spike” is selected inthe popup window 115 and the text “normal spike” is inputted in thepopup window 115 at time t2. When the “OK” button is pushed in the popupwindow 115 illustrated in FIG. 4, the popup window 115 closes and theannotation 110 a-2 is displayed at the corresponding time location inthe display section 110, as illustrated in FIG. 6. The attribute iconrepresenting “spike” and the text information “normal spike” aredisplayed by correlating with the annotation number “2”. At the sametime, the value of the counter box 118 is incremented. Further, anattribute icon 106-2 is also displayed near the highlighted mark 103a-2. In the example illustrated in FIG. 6, an attribute icon 106-1 isdisplayed near the mark 103 a-1, but as described above, whether theattribute icons 106-1 and 106-2 should be displayed or not isselectable. An annotation A1 including the mark 103 a-1 and theattribute icon 106-1, and an annotation A2 including the mark 103 a-2and the attribute icon 106-2, are also included in the annotationinformation.

FIG. 7 illustrates the annotation list 180. When the annotationcorresponding to the mark 103 a-2 is added in the left side region 201Aof the screen, the annotation list 180 is updated so that the memo“normal spike” is added to the row of the annotation number “2”.

Similarly, every time a point or a range on the signal waveforms isdesignated during measurement, the designated location is highlightedand the annotation information is displayed along the time axis 112 inthe display section 110. In the region 201B, the annotation informationis added serially.

It is not necessary to display the annotation number in the annotationlist 180 or in the region 201A for displaying the signal waveforms. Anyinformation by which the added annotation can be identified can be usedas the identification information. For example, the attribute icon andthe attribute text string (such as “strong spike”) may be displayed nearthe time axis by correlating with the time information. Further, a filenumber (the number that is displayed at the “File” column in theannotation list 180) can also be displayed in the region 201A.

When the stop button 119 (illustrated in FIG. 4) is selected (pushed)and the measurement is finished, the highlighted locations that aredesignated in the display sections 101 through 103 are recorded bycorrelating with the signal waveforms. The annotation information thatis displayed on the corresponding time location in the display section110 is also recorded by correlating with the annotation number and thetime. The related information, such as the counter value for the counterbox 118 and the contents in the annotation list 180, is also recorded.By recording these display information, even if the person who performsanalysis is different from the one who performed measurement, the personwho performs analysis can easily recognize the problematic location andanalyze the signal waveforms at the location.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of the information displaying processing in themeasurement phase performed by the information displaying system 20.When “measurement” is selected on the starting screen 204 illustrated inFIG. 2 (S11), the measurement is started and the multiple signalwaveforms are displayed in a synchronized manner so that each of thesignal waveforms is displayed on the same time axis (S12). Here,“multiple signal waveforms” means both the signal waveforms detected bymultiple sensors of the same type and the signal waveforms detected bydifferent types of sensors.

The information displaying system 20 determines whether a designation ofa location (point or range) to be considered on the displayed signalwaveforms is received or not (S13). When the location to be consideredis designated (YES at S13), the information displaying system 20highlights the designated location in the displaying region of thesignal waveforms (display sections 101 through 103) and displays thedesignated result on the corresponding time location in the time axisregion (display section 110) (S14). The designated result includes theinformation representing that the designation is performed, or theidentification information of the designation. At or around the timewhen the designated result is displayed in the time axis region, theinformation displaying system determines whether a request for inputtingannotation is received or not (S15). If the input of the annotation isrequested (YES at S15), the information displaying system 20 displaysthe received annotation information at the corresponding time locationin the time axis region, and adds the annotation information to theannotation list (S16). Subsequently, the information displaying system20 determines whether a command for requesting the stop of themeasurement is received (the stop button 119 is pushed) or not (S17). Ifthe location to be considered is not designated (NO at S13), or if theinput of the annotation is not requested (NO at S15), the processproceeds to step S17 and whether the measurement should be terminated ornot is determined. Until the measurement finishes (YES at S17), thesteps S13 through S16 are executed repeatedly.

According to the information displaying method, the measurement screenwhich facilitates recognizing the signal information can be provided.

<Operation in the Analysis Phase>

FIG. 9 illustrates an example of the screen of the informationdisplaying system 20 when analysis is performed. The analysis screen isdisplayed when the “analysis” button is selected in the starting screen204 in FIG. 2. There is a label representing that this is the screen for“analysis” on the tab 111 of the analysis screen. The analysis screenincludes a region 202A for displaying the recorded signal waveforms withannotations, and a region 202B for displaying analysis information. Theregion 202A for displaying the recorded signal waveforms and theannotation information is placed on the left side of the screen seenfrom a user (a measurer or an analyst), and the region 202B fordisplaying analysis information is placed on the right side of thescreen seen from the user. During analysis, since the user checks andfinalizes the analysis result on the region 202B using such as a mousewhile he/she is checking or selecting the signal waveform(s) on theregion 202A, this configuration improves work efficiency of the user.

In the present embodiment, above the second display section 103 fordisplaying the waveforms of the EEG signals, the second display sections101 and 102 are placed each of which is for displaying the waveforms ofthe MEG signals. Also, in the region 202B located at the right of theregion 202A, MEG distribution maps 141 and 142 are displayed in theupper part of the region 202B on the side which is closer to the region202A, and an EEG distribution map 130 is displayed under thedistribution maps 141 and 142. Therefore, an analyst can move his/hereyes in the order of the “waveforms of the EEG signals” displayed in thesecond display section 103, the “waveforms of the MEG signals” displayedin the second display sections 101 and 102, the MEG distribution maps141 and 142, and the EEG distribution map 130 (in the clockwise order).This makes eye movement of an analyst (or a measurer) efficient, and asa result, the work efficiency of the analysis will be improved. Theabove description explains the case when the analyst (or the measurer)moves his/her eyes in the clockwise order, but the screen configurationis not limited to the case.

Further in FIG. 9, the case is illustrated that the entire analysisscreen is displayed on the screen of the single monitor display 26.Alternatively, the left side region 201A and the right side region 201Bmay be displayed separately on two or more different monitor displays.

FIG. 10 is an enlarged view of the left side region 202A of the analysisscreen in FIG. 9. The region 202A includes a display section 110 and adisplay section 120 for displaying the time information in thehorizontal direction (first direction) of the screen when themeasurement was performed, and the display sections 101 through 103 eachof which is for displaying the recorded signal waveforms of one type inparallel so that each of the signal waveforms is arranged in a verticaldirection (second direction) of the screen.

The time axis 112, showing the elapse of time during measurementprocess, is displayed in the display section 110, and the addedannotations 110 a-7 and 110 a-8 are also displayed in the displaysection 110 along the time axis 112. In the display section 120, a timeaxis 122 is displayed. The time axis 122 represents the entire period oftime when signals were measured and recorded. Along the time axis 122,pointer marks 120 a indicating the time location on the signal waveformswhere the annotations are added, and a timezone 120 b are displayed. Thetimezone 120 b represents the period of time when the signal waveformsthat are currently displayed on the display sections 101 through 103were recorded. By these displayed information, an analyst canintuitively grasp at which phase the signal waveforms which are beinganalyzed were obtained.

After opening the analysis screen, the analyst can display a desiredpart of the signal waveforms on the display sections 101 through 103 by,for example, dragging the timezone 120 b on the time axis 122. Or, aswill be described later, by selecting one of the desired annotations,part of the signal waveforms including the selected annotation can bedisplayed on the display sections 101 through 103.

Annotations A7 and A8 which were added during measurement are displayedon the display sections 101 through 103. Marks 103 a-7 and 103 a-8 arehighlighted, and attribute icons 106-7 and 106-8 corresponding to themarks 103 a-7 and 103 a-8 are displayed near the marks 103 a-7 and 103a-8. Further, vertical lines 117-7 and 117-8 each of which indicates thetime location of the marks 103 a-7 and 103 a-8 are displayed. Bydisplaying the line 117, for example, when a certain location in thedisplay section 103 is designated and an annotation relating to thelocation is added, the result of the designation can be easilyrecognized in the display section 102 or 101 which are different typesof the signal displaying area from the display section 103. Since theline 117 makes the visual recognition of the annotation informationeasier, it can be included in the annotation information, and it may becalled “annotation line”. By selecting one of the lines 117, the signalwaveforms for the fixed period of time before and after the timeindicated by the selected line 117 is displayed with magnification. Theprocessing will be described later.

FIG. 11 is an enlarged view of the right side region 202B of the screen,which illustrates the state of the region 202B at the time when theregion 202A is in the state illustrated in FIG. 10. In the right sideregion 202B, MEG distribution maps 141 and 142 each corresponding to thesignal waveforms displayed on the display sections 101 and 102, and theEEG distribution map 130 corresponding to the signal waveforms displayedon the display section 103, are displayed. Also, an isomagnetic fielddiagram 150 of the magnetoencephalogram (MEG), a map area 160 of theelectroencephalogram (EEG), and a displaying window 190 for displayingbrain tomographic images of the subject obtained by MRI (MagneticResonance Imaging) are displayed in the right side region 202B. On theisomagnetic field diagram 150, a magnetic flux source and a magneticflux sink are drawn by different colors so that the direction of currentcan be visually grasped. The diagrams drawn in the isomagnetic fielddiagram 150 and the map area 160 are obtained after the measurementprocess described earlier was finished, and the MRI tomographic imagesare obtained by another measurement.

On the monitor window 170, the video image of the subject taken whenhis/her measurement was made is displayed in synchronization with thedisplay of the signal waveforms on the display sections 101 through 103.By watching the monitor window 170, an analyst can analyze the signalwaveforms by checking the state of the subject.

All of the annotations which were added during the measurement phase arelisted in the annotation list 180. In the annotation list 180, theannotation information (attribute icon, input text information, and thelike) which was added during the measurement phase is recorded bycorrelating with an annotation number 181. On the annotation list 180 inthe analysis screen, for example, each of the annotations is displayedin an ascending order (older annotation is placed in the upper row), butthe displaying order is not limited to the example described here.Similar to the annotation list illustrated in the measurement screen, itis not necessary to use an annotation number. Each annotation may bedistinguished from each other by the combination of time, filename,attribute, and the like. The information displaying system 20 may alsobe configured that a user can change the order of the annotations to bedisplayed in the annotation list 180, or sort each of the annotations bythe specific column. By clicking the desired annotation number 181 orthe desired row in the annotation list 180, the signal waveforms for acertain time period including the time location on the signal waveformsfor which the clicked annotation was added are displayed on the displaysections 101 through 103 in FIG. 10.

When an analyst checks the signal waveforms in a region where anannotation was attached and estimation of the signal source based on thesignal waveforms in the region is performed, the annotation is displayedwith an estimation completion mark 182 (as will be illustrated in FIG.11) attached, which is different from the annotation list in themeasurement screen.

When an analyst chooses not to display an annotation in the displaysections 101 through 103 using the selection box 180 a, the attributeicons 106-7 and 106-8 disappear on the display section 103 in FIG. 10.The information displaying system 20 may also be configured such that auser can select whether the highlighted marks 103 a-7 and 103 a-8 aredisplayed or not using the selection box 180 a.

FIG. 12 is the view of the analysis screen illustrating the state justafter the line 117-7 in FIG. 10 is selected (the line 117-7 can beselected, for example, when an analyst double-clicks the line 117-7using a mouse). When an analyst notices the annotation A7 and selects(performs double-click operation, for example) the line 117-7 to analyzethe waveforms in the location (region) indicated with the annotation A7,the signal waveforms in the vicinity of the highlighted signal waveformsare displayed with magnification in a magnified view area 200. Thesignal waveforms included in the fixed period of time specified with theregion 114 are magnified and displayed with a line 217-7 indicating thetime location when the annotation A7 was added.

FIG. 13 is the enlarged view of a region 203A (signal waveformdisplaying region) which is located at the left side in FIG. 12. Ananalyst can double-check whether the mark added during measurement phaseis appropriate or not, or can check a part of the waveforms which wasnot checked during measurement phase, by displaying the signal waveformswith magnification in the magnified view area 200. For example, bydragging the line 217-7 to the left or right, the analyst can detect theaccurate location in the waveforms where there is a problem, or changethe location where the annotation is to be added. The informationdisplaying system 20 may be configured that at least one of thehighlighted mark 103 a and the attribute icon 106 displayed in thedisplay section 103 are also displayed in the magnified view area 200.However, since the highlighted mark or the attributed icon may hinderdetermining an irregular point of the amplitude correctly when viewingthe waveforms, it is desirable that the information displaying system isconfigured to be selectable by a user such that displaying thehighlighted mark or the attributed icon in the magnified view area 200is enabled or disabled.

The type of the signal waveforms or the channel range of the signalwaveforms to be displayed on the magnified view area 200 may beselectable. For example, an analyst glances from the highlighted mark103 a-7 in the display section 103 to the upper region in the screen, tocheck if there is an irregular point of the amplitude in the waveformsdisplayed in the display section 101 or 102 where the waveforms of theMEG signals are displayed. In this case, by entering, in a box 125, thechannel range of the signal waveforms that he/she wants to magnify,among the waveforms in the display section 101 or 102, the waveforms ofthe MEG signals related to the mark 103 a-7 can be displayed in themagnified view area 200.

A confirmation window 210 is displayed under the magnified view area200. The confirmation window 210 includes signal waveform attributebuttons 211 and a signal source estimation button 212. The attributebuttons 211 are similar to the selection buttons 115 a, and when theattribute which was added during measurement is incorrect, an analystcan alter the attribute to an appropriate one by selecting anappropriate attribute button 211. After the analyst confirms that thelocation of the signal waveforms to be considered and/or the selectedattribute are appropriate, he/she clicks the signal source estimationbutton 212 to reflect the estimated result of a signal source to theannotation.

FIG. 14 is an enlarged view of the right side region 203B in FIG. 12.When an analyst confirms the appropriateness of the location of thesignal waveforms to be considered and/or the selected attribute relatedto the selected annotation, and pushes the signal source estimationbutton 212 by using the screen illustrated in FIG. 13, the estimationcompletion mark 182 is added to the row corresponding to the selectedannotation in the annotation list 180 (in the example illustrated inFIG. 14, the estimation completion mark 182 is added to the annotationwhose annotation number is “7”). Further, an estimated result of adipole 190 a is displayed on the MRI tomographic images in thedisplaying window 190.

There are two approaches for updating the annotation list 180 when ananalyst changes at least one of the location of a mark which ishighlighted in the display sections 101 through 103 and the contents ofan annotation 110 a. One approach is to record, in the annotation list180, only the latest information which was updated by the analyst, andthe other approach is to add the information which was updated by theanalyst to the annotation list 180 while keeping the annotationinformation which was recorded in the measurement phase. If the latterapproach is adopted, a new annotation number may be given to the addedannotation information as annotation identification information. Forexample, the new annotation number may be made by adding a branch numberto the annotation number which was given to the original annotationinformation at the measurement phase. In this case, the added annotationmay also be displayed on the display section 110, and the addedannotation information may be displayed along the time axis with adifferent color from the original annotation information.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart of the information displaying processing in theanalysis phase performed by the information displaying system 20. When“analysis” is selected on the starting screen 204 (see FIG. 2) (S21),the analysis is started and the analysis screen is displayed (S22). Theanalysis screen initially may be a blank screen where no signal waveformis displayed, or the signal waveforms measured in the fixed period oftime after starting the measurement or before completion of themeasurement may be displayed on the analysis screen. When the analysisscreen is displayed, the information displaying system 20 determineswhether a certain annotation was selected or not (S23). The annotationmay be selected by choosing an annotation number or a row in theannotation list 180, or may be selected by designating the time locationusing the timezone 120 b which is displayed on the time axis 122 in thedisplay section 120. When a selection of the annotation has occurred(YES at S23), the signal waveforms within the certain period includingthe time location where the selected annotation is attached aredisplayed (S24).

After the signal waveforms are displayed, the information displayingsystem 20 determines whether a line 117 representing the time locationwhere the highlighted mark exists is selected or not (S25). When theline 117 is selected (YES at S25), the signal waveforms within the fixedperiod of time including the time indicated by the selected line 117 aredisplayed with magnification (S26). The signal waveforms that aremagnified and displayed here are not limited to the signal waveformsnear the highlighted mark. Instead, another type of the signal waveformswithin the same time location as the highlighted mark may be displayedwith magnification. For example, if a highlighted mark is added to thewaveforms of the EEG signals, the waveforms of the MEG signals at thesame time location as the highlighted mark may be displayed withmagnification. Or, instead of displaying the signal waveforms of allchannels, only the signal waveforms obtained from the fixed range ofchannels including the channel from which the marked signal waveformswas obtained may be displayed with magnification. In these cases, theinformation displaying system 20 may determine whether the types of thesignal waveforms to be displayed are designated or not, or whether therange of the channels from which the signal waveforms to be displayedwas obtained is designated or not.

Next, whether the signal source estimation button 212 was pushed or notis determined (S27). If the signal source estimation button 212 waspushed (YES at S27), the information displaying system 20 performscalculation to estimate the signal source. The estimated result isdisplayed on the MRI tomographic images, and the estimation completionmark 182 is added to the annotation list 180 (S28). Then, whether thecommand for instructing to terminate analysis was received or not(whether “terminate analysis” button 300 illustrated in FIG. 14 ispushed or not) is determined (S29). If no annotation was selected (NO atS23), if the annotation line was not clicked (NO at S25), or if thesignal source estimation button 212 was not pushed (NO at S27), theprocess proceeds to S29 and the information displaying system 20determines whether the analysis should be terminated or not. Until thecommand for instructing to terminate analysis is received (YES at S29),the steps S23 through S28 are repeated.

Between step S26 and step S27, the information displaying system 20 mayperform a determination process as to whether the annotation was changedor not. If the annotation was changed, the information displaying system20 reflects the change to the annotation list 180 and proceeds to thedetermination at step S27.

Because of the above displaying processing, the information displayingsystem 20 can realize the information displaying method excellent invisibility and operability.

FIG. 16 and FIG. 17 are the diagrams illustrating a modified example ofthe display layout. In displaying the signal waveforms obtained frommultiple types of sensors, a user can change the display location ofeach signal waveform based on the type of the signals accordingly. Forexample, as illustrated in FIG. 16, the display section 103, whichillustrates the waveforms of the EEG signals having a large amplitudeand easy to recognize, may be placed in the upper part of the screen. Inthis case, the MEG distribution maps 141 and 142 are placed at the rightside of the display sections 101 and 102, and the EEG distribution map130 is placed at the right side of the display section 103 and above theMEG distribution maps 141 and 142. Further, as illustrated in FIG. 17,the information displaying system 20 may be configured that the verticalsize of at least one of the display sections 101 through 103 can bechanged. For example, when a user selects the frame of the displaysection 103 and moves the frame vertically, the ratio of the size of thedisplay section 103 to the vertical size of the display section 101 or102 can be changed.

The location of the display section 110 for displaying a timeline maynot necessarily be the upper end of the screen or the lower end of thescreen. The display section 110 may be placed between the waveforms ofthe MEG signals and the waveforms of the EEG signals. Further, forexample, both the configuration in which the timeline is placed betweenthe waveforms of the MEG signals and the waveforms of the EEG signalsand the configuration in which the timeline is placed at at least one ofthe upper end and the lower end of the screen may be adopted.

FIG. 18 and FIG. 19 are the diagrams illustrating a modified example ofthe analysis screen. In the example illustrated in FIG. 18, thepositional relation of the distribution maps and the display sections isdifferent from the example illustrated in FIG. 9. As illustrated in FIG.18, the distribution map 141 and the display section 101 for displayingMEG signal waveforms are displayed adjacent to each other, thedistribution map 142 and the display section 102 for displaying MEGsignal waveforms are displayed adjacent to each other, and thedistribution map 130 and the display section 103 for displaying EEGsignal waveforms are displayed adjacent to each other. This screenconfiguration improves the visibility as compared to the screenconfiguration illustrated in FIG. 9 since a user can easily recognizethe distribution map corresponding to the waveforms in a display sectionthat he/she is observing only by moving his/her eyes horizontally fromthe waveforms to the corresponding distribution maps.

In the example illustrated in FIG. 18, a switch button 143 for expandingthe display sections is displayed above the distribution map 141. Asymbol representing the direction (the rightward in FIG. 18) in whichthe region 202A for displaying the waveforms and the annotations isexpanded by pushing the switch button 143 is labeled on the switchbutton 143. When the switch button 143 is pushed, as illustrated in FIG.19, the region 202A is expanded horizontally and the waveforms aredisplayed on the expanded region 202A. Therefore, the waveforms for alonger period of time can be displayed as compared to the displaysection illustrated in FIG. 9. When a user pushes the switch button 143on the screen illustrated in FIG. 19 to restore the size of the region202A, the region 202A returns to the state illustrated in FIG. 18. Onthe switch button 143 illustrated in FIG. 19, a symbol representing thedirection (the leftward in FIG. 19) in which the region 202A fordisplaying the waveforms shrinks by pushing the button 143 is labeled.As described above, since the symbol labeled on the switch button 143indicates the direction in which the size of the display sections ischanged, a user can easily grasp whether the display sections 101through 103 will be expanded or shrink, and the usability is improved.

FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating a modified example of the analysisscreen as illustrated in FIG. 10. In FIG. 20, the lines 117-7 and 117-8are not displayed on the display section 103 where annotations aredisplayed, but are displayed on the display sections 101 and 102, whichis different from the analysis screen illustrated in FIG. 10.

In the display sections 101 through 103, annotations A7 and A8 whichwere added to the signal waveforms during measurement are displayed.Marks 103 a-7 and 103 a-8 are highlighted and the attribute icons 106-7and 106-8 each corresponding to the marks 103 a-7 and 103 a-8 aredisplayed near the marks 103 a-7 and 103 a-8. Further, the verticallines 117-7 and 117-8 each of which represents the time location of eachmark 103 a-7 and 103 a-8 are displayed only in the display sections 101and 102.

According to the example, an analyst can, by moving his/her eyes fromthe highlighted mark 103 a-7 in the display section 103 to the upperregion of the screen, check if there is an irregular point of theamplitude in the waveforms displayed in the display section 101 or 102where the waveforms of the MEG signals are displayed.

FIG. 21 is a diagram illustrating another modified example of theanalysis screen as illustrated in FIG. 10. In the display sections 101through 103, annotations which were added to the signal waveforms duringmeasurement are displayed. In the example illustrated in FIG. 21,attribute icons 106-7 and 106-8 are displayed on the location whereirregular points on the waveform were designated in the display section103. The attribute icons 106-7 and 106-8 indicate the designatedlocations and attributes. Also, the vertical lines 117-7 and 117-8 eachof which represents the time location of each attribute icon 106-7 and106-8 are displayed only in the display sections 101 and 102.

Also according to the example, an analyst can, by moving his/her eyesfrom the attribute icons 106-7 and 106-8 in the display section 103 tothe upper region of the screen, check if there is an irregular point ofthe amplitude in the waveforms displayed in the display section 101 or102 where the waveforms of the MEG signals are displayed.

FIG. 22 is a diagram illustrating yet another modified example of theanalysis screen as illustrated in FIG. 10. In the display sections 101through 103, annotations which were added to the signal waveforms duringmeasurement are displayed. In the example illustrated in FIG. 22,attribute icons 106-7 and 106-8 are displayed on the location whereirregular points on the waveform were designated in the display section103. The attribute icons 106-7 and 106-8 indicate the designatedlocation and attributes. Also, the vertical lines 117-7 and 117-8 eachof which represents the time location of each attribute icon 106-7 and106-8 are displayed in the display sections 101 through 103. The lines117-7 and 117-8 in this example extend to the time axis 112, which canserve as functions of the annotations 110 a-7 and 110 a-8 respectively.

Also according to the example, an analyst can, by moving his/her eyesfrom the attribute icons 106-7 and 106-8 in the display section 103 tothe upper region of the screen, check if there is an irregular point ofthe amplitude in the waveforms displayed in the display section 101 or102 where the waveforms of the MEG signals are displayed.

FIG. 23 is a diagram illustrating yet another modified example of theanalysis screen as illustrated in FIG. 10. In the display sections 101through 103, annotations which were added to the signal waveforms duringmeasurement are displayed. In the example illustrated in FIG. 23,attribute icons 106-7 and 106-8 are displayed on the location whereirregular points on the waveform were designated in the display section103. The attribute icons 106-7 and 106-8 indicate the designatedlocation and attributes. Also, the vertical lines 117-7 and 117-8 eachof which represents the time location of each attribute icon 106-7 and106-8 are displayed in the display sections 101 through 103. The lines117-7 and 117-8 illustrated in FIG. 23 have a certain width, and extendfrom the upper end of the display section 101 to the lower end of thedisplay section 103. Attribute icons 106-7 and 106-8 are displayed so asto be respectively located in the center of each line 117-7 and 117-8.

Also according to the example, an analyst can, by moving his/her eyesfrom the attribute icons 106-7 and 106-8 in the display section 103 tothe upper region of the screen, check if there is an irregular point ofthe amplitude in the waveforms displayed in the display section 101 or102 where the waveforms of the MEG signals are displayed. Further, sincethe lines 117-7 and 117-8 are highlighted, or displayed with a differentcolor from the waveforms, the visibility of the waveforms improves.

FIG. 24 is a diagram illustrating yet another modified example of theanalysis screen as illustrated in FIG. 10. FIG. 24 is different fromFIG. 23 in that, while each of the lines 117-7 and 117-8 is displayed ineach of the display sections 101 through 103, the lines 117-7 and 117-8are not displayed in the area between the display sections 101 and 102,or in the area between the display sections 102 and 103.

Also according to the example, an analyst can, by moving his/her eyesfrom the attribute icons 106-7 and 106-8 in the display section 103 tothe upper region of the screen, check if there is an irregular point ofthe amplitude in the waveforms displayed in the display section 101 or102 where the waveforms of the MEG signals are displayed. Also, sincethe lines 117-7 and 117-8 are highlighted, or displayed with a differentcolor from the waveforms, the visibility of the waveforms improves.Further an analyst can recognize the boundary between the displaysection 101 and 102, and the boundary between the display section 102and 103 more clearly.

FIG. 25 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of theinformation displaying system 20. The information displaying system 20includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit, also referred to as“processor”) 21, RAM (Random Access Memory) 22, ROM (Read Only Memory)23, an auxiliary storage device 24, an input/output (I/O) interface 25,and a display device 28, each of which are interconnected via a bus 27.

The CPU 21 controls the overall operation of the information displayingsystem 20, and performs various information processing. The CPU 21 alsoperforms display operations in the measurement screen and the analysisscreen by executing an information displaying program stored in the ROM23 or the auxiliary storage device 24. The RAM 22 is used as the workarea for the CPU 21, and may include nonvolatile RAM for storing majorcontrol parameters or major information. The ROM 23 stores basicinput/output (I/O) programs and the like. The information displayingprogram according to the present disclosure may also be stored in theROM 23. The auxiliary storage device 24 is a storage device such as anSSD (Solid State Drive) or an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), and stores, forexamples, programs for controlling the information displaying system 20,or various data or files required for operating the informationdisplaying system 20. The input/output (I/O) interface 25 includes auser interface such as a touch panel, a keyboard, a display monitor, anoperation button, and the like, and a communication interface foracquiring information from various sensors or the data recording server42 and outputting analysis information to other electronic devices. Thedisplay device 28 corresponds to the monitor display 26. The measurementscreen and the analysis screen are displayed on the display device 28,and the contents displayed on the display device 28 are updated inresponse to the input/output (I/O) operation via the input/output (I/O)interface 25.

FIG. 26 is a functional block diagram included in the informationdisplaying system 20. The information displaying system 20 includes acontroller 250, an analyzer 252, a sensor information acquisition unit253, a record/analysis information storing unit 254, and an annotationinput unit 255. The controller 250 includes a display controller 251performing display operation in the information displaying system 20.

The sensor information acquisition unit 253 acquires sensor informationfrom the measuring device 3 or the data recording server 42. Theannotation input unit 255 inputs annotation information which is addedto the sensor information. The analyzer 252 analyzes the acquired sensorinformation. The analysis of sensor information includes the analysis ofsignal waveforms, the analysis of an irregular point of the amplitude inthe waveforms, and the analysis of brain magnetic field which includesthe analysis of the direction of electrical current dipole. In thepresent embodiment, the analyzer 252 includes a function (function of anestimating unit) for estimating the signal source based on the signalwaveforms corresponding to the annotation selected in the analysisscreen. The display controller 251 performs display processing duringmeasurement of the sensor information and during analysis by using themethod described above with reference to FIGS. 2 through 24. Therecord/analysis information storing unit 254 stores the measured dataand the analysis result. When an annotation is added to the signalwaveforms during measurement, the annotation is also stored in therecord/analysis information storing unit 254 by correlating with thetime information at which the signal waveform was acquired. The functionof the controller 250 including the display controller 251 is embodiedby the CPU 21 loading a program stored in the ROM 23 and the like intothe RAM 22 and executing the program. The function of the analyzer 252is also embodied by the CPU 21 loading a program stored in the ROM 23and the like into the RAM 22 and executing the program. Note that thefunction described in the present disclosure may not necessarily beembodied by the processor executing programs. For example, at least apart of the functions included in the controller 250 or the analyzer 252may be embodied by dedicated hardware circuits (such as semiconductorintegrated circuits). The function included in the sensor informationacquisition unit 253 and the annotation input unit 255 is embodied bythe input/output (I/O) interface 25. The function included in therecord/analysis information storing unit 254 is embodied by the ROM 23or the auxiliary storage device 24.

When the operations performed in the information displaying system 20are embodied by executing the information displaying program, theinformation displaying program causes the CPU 21 (a) to display a firstdisplay section configured to display a time axis of signal detectionalong a first direction, (b) to display a second display sectionconfigured to display multiple signal waveforms based on the signaldetection in parallel so that the signal waveforms are arranged side byside in a second direction which is different from the first direction,and (c) in response to the designation of a location on at least one ofthe plurality of the signal waveforms or near the at least one of theplurality of the signal waveforms in the second display section, tohighlight the designated location and to display a result of thedesignation on a time location in the first display sectioncorresponding to the designated location.

By installing the information displaying program described above, theinformation displaying system 20 can provide the display screen thatfacilitates recognizing the point or the region of interest of thesignal waveform when multiple signal waveforms are displayed on the sametime axis. The information displaying program may be provided in a statestored in a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium such as aCD-ROM, a DVD, or a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory, and may beinstalled into the information displaying system 20 from thenon-transitory computer-readable recording medium. Alternatively, theinformation displaying program may be downloaded from another computervia a network, and may be installed into the information displayingsystem 20.

Second Embodiment

Next, a second embodiment will be described. In the following, as forthe points which are common to the above described embodiments,description will be omitted accordingly. The basic configuration of thesystem according to the second embodiment is the same as the systemdescribed in the first embodiment. In the embodiments described above,bio-information measured during a certain continuous period (it can beconsidered as a “single bio-information”) is displayed on the analysisscreen. But in the present embodiment, the display controller 251 isconfigured to treat multiple pieces of partitioned bio-information eachof which includes data measured during different periods of time, and todisplay the signal waveforms included in one of the partitionedbio-information pieces corresponding to the timezone 120 b.

Also, the analyzer 252 (estimation unit) performs, for each partitionedbio-information, the estimation of the signal source corresponding to anannotation selected among the annotations which were previously added tothe partitioned bio-information.

<Operation of the Measurement Phase>

For example, we will assume a case that the measurement operationsdescribed in the first embodiment are executed three timesintermittently. Also it is assumed that a certain interval is disposedbetween each measurement operation (the length of each interval may bearbitrary). Note that the number of the measurement is not limited tothe case described above, that is, “three times” is just an example. Thenumber of the measurement can be chosen appropriately depending on thepurpose of the inspection.

FIG. 27 is a flowchart illustrating an example of operation performed bythe information displaying system 20 according to the second embodiment(illustrating the operation when measurement process is performed threetimes). As illustrated in FIG. 27, the information displaying system 20performs first measurement at step S41. The operation performed here isthe same as the steps S12 through S17 illustrated in FIG. 8. After thefirst measurement is finished, the information displaying system 20stores (saves) measured data including the bio-information obtained bythe first measurement and the input annotation(s) into therecord/analysis information storing unit 254 by correlating with asubject ID for identifying each subject (step S42).

Next, the information displaying system 20 performs second measurement(step S43). The operation performed here is the same as the steps S12through S17 illustrated in FIG. 8. After the second measurement isfinished, the information displaying system 20 stores measured dataincluding the bio-information obtained by the second measurement and theinput annotation(s) by correlating with the subject ID into therecord/analysis information storing unit 254 (step S44).

Next, the information displaying system 20 performs third measurement(step S45). The operation performed here is the same as the steps S12through S17 illustrated in FIG. 8. After the third measurement isfinished, the information displaying system 20 stores measured dataincluding the bio-information obtained by the third measurement and theinput annotation(s) by correlating with the subject ID into therecord/analysis information storing unit 254 (step S46).

As described above, each time a measurement (the measurement for acertain period of time) is finished, the measured data indicating themeasured result is stored in the record/analysis information storingunit 254 in units of files. In the description that will be describedlater, a file containing measured data (the data obtained by a singlemeasurement) stored in the record/analysis information storing unit 254may be called “measured file”. In the example described here, after themeasurements were performed three times, three measured files are storedin the record/analysis information storing unit 254. In the descriptionthat will be described later, a measured file corresponding to the firstmeasurement may be called a first measured file, a measured filecorresponding to the second measurement may be called a second measuredfile, and a measured file corresponding to the third measurement may becalled a third measured file. As described above, each measured file isstored in the record/analysis information storing unit 254 bycorrelating with the subject ID.

<Operation in the Analysis Phase>

Next, the operation in the analysis phase will be described. Here, it isassumed that the information displaying system 20 (display controller251) displays a selection screen for selecting a measured file obtainedby the measurement on the display device 28.

FIG. 28 is a flowchart illustrating an example of operation performed bythe information displaying system 20 in the analysis phase. First, theinformation displaying system 20 receives an operation from a user (suchas an analyst) for selecting one of the measured files via the selectionscreen (step S51). Next, the information displaying system 20 reads aseries of the measured files including the measured file selected atstep S51 and other measured files with which the same subject ID as theone correlated with the selected measured file is correlated (in theexample described here, the above three measured files are read), andperforms the process to display, on the display device 28, an analysisscreen reflecting the series of the retrieved measured files (step S52).

FIG. 29 is a view illustrating an example of the left side region 202Aof the analysis screen that is displayed by performing the process inthe step S52. The time axis 122 displays periods including the recordedtimes of all of the measured data stored in the series of the measuredfiles (the first measured file, the second measured file, and the thirdmeasured file), not the recorded times of any one of the measured files.Also on the time axis 122, range information 900 a representing theperiod when each of the measured data stored in the first measured fileis recorded, range information 900 b representing the period when eachof the measured data stored in the second measured file is recorded, andrange information 900 c representing the period when each of themeasured data stored in the third measured file is recorded, aredisplayed. Further, in each of the first measured file, second measuredfile, and the third measured file, pointer marks 120 a indicating thetime location on the signal waveforms where annotations were added aredisplayed along the time axis 122. In the following descriptions, therange information 900 a, 900 b, or 900 c may simply be called “rangeinformation 900” when the range information 900 a, 900 b, and 900 c arenot distinguished from each other. The information indicating the nameof the measured file may be attached to each of the range information900. Since each measurement was performed with time intervals in thepresent embodiment, a gap (blank area) is disposed between each of therange information 900. An analyst can change the signal waveformsdisplayed on the region 202A by moving the timezone 120 b using a mouseand the like. In the present embodiment, the signal waveformscorresponding to the timezone 120 b (part of the bio-informationcontained in one of the measured files) are displayed on the region202A. That is, an analyst can display the signal waveforms measured inthe desired period of time across different measured files, by movingthe timezone 120 b on the time axis 122.

In the present embodiment, all annotations included in each of the threemeasured files are displayed on the annotation list 180 that resides inthe region 202B in the right side of the analysis screen. Further, forexample, the information displaying system 20 may also be configured tomanage each measured file by correlating with a name of the inspectionand to display the name of the inspection correlated with the measuredfile corresponding to the timezone 120 b on the analysis screen.

Referring to the description of FIG. 28, if the information displayingsystem 20 received an operation from an analyst to change the locationof the timezone 120 b (YES at step S53) after displaying the analysisscreen at S52, the information displaying system 20 determines whetherthe signal waveforms corresponding to the current location of thetimezone 120 b are being displayed on the region 202A or not (step S54).

If the result of the determination at step S54 is negative (NO at stepS54), the information displaying system 20 displays the signal waveformscorresponding to the current location of the timezone 120 b on theregion 202A (step S55). If the result of the determination at step S54is positive (YES at step S54) or after executing step S55, theinformation displaying system 20 performs analysis processing inaccordance with the operation from an analyst (step S56). The analysisprocessing performed here is the steps S23 through S31 illustrated inFIG. 15.

First Modified Example of the Second Embodiment

FIG. 30 is a view illustrating an example of the analysis screenaccording to a first modified example of the second embodiment. In thefirst modified example of the second embodiment, for example, only asingle range information 900 corresponding to one of the measured filesis displayed on the time axis 122 in the analysis screen, and the rangeinformation 900 to be displayed on the time axis 122 may be changed inunits of measured files, in response to the operation of an analyst. Inthe example illustrated in FIG. 30, only the range information 900 a isdisplayed, which represents the period when each of the measured datastored in the first measured file is recorded. When the informationdisplaying system receives an operation from an analyst to change therange information 900, the information displaying system 20 changes therange information 900 to be displayed on the time axis 122 in units ofmeasured files in response to the operation. Also, in accordance withthe change of the range information, the information displaying system20 changes the contents to be displayed in the region 202A and 202B sothat the contents related to the measured file corresponding to thechanged range information 900 can be displayed.

Second Modified Example of the Second Embodiment

In the second embodiment, the information displaying system 20 isconfigured such that the timezone 120 b is not placed across themultiple range information. For example, we will assume the case thatthe information displaying system 20 receives the instruction to advancethe timezone 120 b slightly when the timezone 120 b is located at thetail of the range information 900 a illustrated in FIG. 29. In thiscase, the information displaying system 20 changes the location of thetimezone 120 b so that the timezone 120 b is not placed between therange information 900 a and 900 b but located at the head of the rangeinformation 900 b.

However, the way of the placement of the timezone 120 b is not limitedto the example described above. In the second modified example of thesecond embodiment, the information displaying system 20 allows thetimezone 120 b to be placed over multiple range information 900. In thiscase, as illustrated in FIG. 31A, the signal waveforms corresponding tothe timezone 120 b displayed in the display sections 101 through 103contains the blank area 310 (corresponding to the interval betweenmeasurements) where no bio-information exists. For example, theinformation displaying system 20 may be configured to display thewaveforms with changing the background of the blank area 311 in order tomake an analyst recognize that the area 311 represents an area betweendifferent measured files, as illustrated in FIG. 31B.

Further, when the timezone 120 b is placed over the multiple rangeinformation 900 and the interval between each measurement is short,little gap may exist between the signal waveforms corresponding to onemeasured file and the signal waveforms corresponding to the othermeasured file. In this case, as illustrated in FIG. 32A, the informationdisplaying system 20 may be configured to display the line 312 (which isdifferent from an annotation line) representing a junction between thesignal waveforms corresponding to one measured file and the signalwaveforms corresponding to the other measured file. Also, for example,as illustrated in FIG. 32B, the information displaying system 20 may beconfigured to display the signal waveforms corresponding to one measuredfile in a different style from the signal waveforms corresponding to theother measured file. Or, as illustrated in FIG. 32C, the informationdisplaying system 20 may be configured to display the background of thesignal waveforms corresponding to one measured file in a different colorfrom the color of the background of the signal waveforms correspondingto the other measured file.

In the embodiments described above, the measuring device 3 is configuredto collect EEG signals and MEG signals, but other configurations may beadopted. For example, the biosignal measurement system 1 may beconfigured to collect MEG signals using the measuring device 3, tocollect EEG signals using an electroencephalograph other than themeasuring device 3, and to send each biosignal obtained from themeasuring device 3 and the electroencephalograph to the data recordingserver 42.

The information displaying technique described in the present disclosurecan be applied not only to the case for displaying EEG signals and MEGsignals side by side, but also to the case for displaying a large numberof electrocardiograms and nervous signals on the same time axis using aelectrocardiograph or a spinal cord meter. Also the technique can beapplied to a geological exploration system for analyzing a magneticfield using a large number of geomagnetic sensors to display the signalwaveforms on the same time axis. Alternatively, the technique can beapplied to sites performing quality control to display signal waveformson the same time axis collected from a large number of sensors such asconvection current meters (heat flow sensors), dew condensation meters(humidity sensors), and the like.

Although the present invention has been described with reference toembodiments, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments,but various variations and modifications may be made without departingfrom the scope of the invention as set forth in the accompanying claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. An information displaying system comprising: a memory storing a program; a display device; a user interface device; and a processor configured to execute the program to implement a process including: (a) displaying, on the display device, a first display section configured to display at least one axis of signal detection along a first direction; (b) displaying, on the display device, a second display section configured to display a plurality of signal waveforms based on the signal detection in parallel so that the signal waveforms are arranged side by side in a second direction which is different from the first direction; and (c) receiving, from a user, designation operations of specifying a plurality of locations on at least one of the plurality of the signal waveforms displayed in the second display section by the user interface device; (d) updating the second display section displayed at step (b), such that a plurality of circular regions each surrounding the respective locations specified by the user at step (c) are displayed in a different color from other locations in the second display section; and (e) displaying marks on the axis in the first display section, the marks being displayed at time locations on the axis corresponding to the plurality of locations specified by the user at step (c); wherein each of the plurality of circular regions surrounds a corresponding location of the plurality of locations specified by the user at step (c) and a vicinity of the corresponding location.
 2. The information displaying system according to claim 1, the second display section further including a first area configured to display the signal waveforms of a first type of signal obtained from a first type of sensor during the signal detection; and a second area configured to display the signal waveforms of a second type of signal obtained from a second type of sensor during the signal detection, wherein the first area and the second area are arranged in parallel in the second direction, and the signal waveforms displayed in the first area and the second area are based on the signal detection performed in a same time period.
 3. The information displaying system according to claim 2, wherein the first type of signal is a magnetoencephalogram (MEG) signal and the second type of signal is an electroencephalogram (EEG) signal.
 4. The information displaying system according to claim 1, the process further including displaying a first time region and a second time region in the first display section during an analysis of the signal waveforms, the first time region representing an entire period when the signal detection was performed, and the second time region representing a period of time when the signal waveforms displayed on the second display section were obtained.
 5. The information displaying system according to claim 1, wherein the axis is a time axis.
 6. The information displaying system according to claim 1, the process further including displaying, in the second display section, first lines in the second direction at same locations along the first direction as the locations specified with the designation received at step (c).
 7. The information displaying system according to claim 6, the process further including displaying, on the display device, a third display section configured, in response to receiving an operation to select one of the first lines in the second display section during an analysis of the signal waveforms, to display the signal waveforms at the selected first line with magnification, and to display a second line in the third display section at a location corresponding to the selected first line in the second display section.
 8. The information displaying system according to claim 1, the process further including during the signal detection, recording at least data of the signal waveforms and information of the locations specified with the designation received at step (c) into a measured file, and storing the measured file into the memory, and during an analysis of the signal waveforms, reading out the measured file, displaying the signal waveforms based on the data of the signal waveforms, and displaying the locations specified with the designation received at step (c) in the different color from the other locations in the second display section based on the information of the locations.
 9. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium storing a computer program to cause a processor in an information displaying device to execute a method, the method comprising: (a) displaying a first display section configured to display at least one axis of signal detection along a first direction; (b) displaying a second display section configured to display a plurality of signal waveforms based on the signal detection in parallel so that the signal waveforms are arranged side by side in a second direction which is different from the first direction; and (c) receiving, from a user, designation operations of specifying a plurality of locations on at least one of the plurality of the signal waveforms displayed in the second display section by a user interface device of the information displaying device; (d) updating the second display section displayed at step (b), such that a plurality of circular regions each surrounding the respective locations specified by the user at step (c) are displayed in a different color from other locations in the second display section; and (e) displaying marks on the axis in the first display section, the marks being displayed at time locations on the axis corresponding to the plurality of locations specified by the user at step (c); wherein each of the plurality of circular regions surrounds a corresponding location of the plurality of locations specified by the user at step (c) and a vicinity of the corresponding location.
 10. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium according to claim 9, wherein a shape of each of the locations displayed in the different color from the other locations is circular.
 11. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium according to claim 9, further comprising displaying, in the second display section, lines in the second direction at same locations along the first direction as the locations specified with the designation received at step (c).
 12. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium according to claim 9, the second display section further including a first area configured to display the signal waveforms of a first type of signal obtained from a first type of sensor during the signal detection, and a second area configured to display the signal waveforms of a second type of signal obtained from a second type of sensor during the signal detection, wherein the first area and the second area are arranged in parallel in the second direction, and the signal waveforms displayed in the first area and the second area are based on the signal detection performed in a same time period.
 13. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium according to claim 12, wherein the first type of signal is a magnetoencephalogram (MEG) signal and the second type of signal is an electroencephalogram (EEG) signal.
 14. An information displaying system comprising: a memory storing a program; a display device; a user interface device; and a processor configured to execute the program to implement a process including: (a) displaying, on the display device, a first display section configured to display at least one axis of signal detection along a first direction; (b) displaying, on the display device, a second display section configured to display a plurality of signal waveforms based on the signal detection in parallel so that the signal waveforms are arranged side by side in a second direction which is different from the first direction; (c) displaying, on the display device, a third display section configured to display the signal waveforms; (d) displaying, on the display device, a fourth display section configured to display an image obtained by MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging), the second display section, the third display section, and the fourth display section being arranged in parallel in the first direction, the third display section being disposed between the second display section and the fourth display section; (e) receiving, from a user, designation operations of specifying a plurality of locations on at least one of the plurality of the signal waveforms displayed in the second display section by the user interface device; (f) updating the second display section displayed at step (b), such that a plurality of circular regions each surrounding the respective locations specified by the user at step (e) are displayed in a different color from other locations in the second display section; (g) displaying marks on the axis in the first display section, the marks being displayed at time locations on the axis corresponding to the plurality of locations specified by the user at step (e); and (h) in response to receiving an operation to select one of the locations displayed in the different color from the other locations in the second display section during an analysis of the signal waveforms, displaying the signal waveforms at the selected location with magnification in the third displaying section; wherein each of the plurality of circular regions surrounds a corresponding location of the plurality of locations specified by the user at step (c) and a vicinity of the corresponding location. 